Observation date: September 10, 2023
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: I found this moth feeding on my Buddleia after dusk when it was almost too dark to see. It was feeding like a Sphinx moth but even more frenetically due to its much smaller size. Coincidentally, there was also a Sphinx moth feeding on the same flowers at the same time but it didn't stick around. I captured this smaller moth to bring it in the house and look at it in the light, and then let it go after I photographed it. Sadly I could only get mediocre photos with my cellphone and these images do it no justice. This moth was exceptionally beautiful -- it had shimmering metallic copper wings with gold patches. Having never seen one of these, I can't know if the bulbous, reddish, smooth mass on its thorax is an injury, a disease, or a normal part of its anatomy.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: September 11, 2023
Coordinator notes: None.
